also-ran

noun

al·so-ran ˈȯl(t)-(ˌ)sō-ˌran

ˈȯ-

Synonyms of also-ran next

: a horse or dog that finishes out of the money in a race

: a contestant that does not win

: one that is of little importance especially competitively

was just an also-ran in the scramble for … privileges—

C. A. Buss

Examples of also-ran in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With little more than two weeks left in the 162-game schedule, however, winning has become easier for also-rans playing out the schedule than for contenders trying to extend it. —

Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 Orphism, one of the most fascinating also-rans of European modernist painting, began, much like a rom-com, with the opposites-attract collision of hot, bright Fauvism and dun, jumbled Cubism. —

The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2024 Plus also-rans from the V.P. search that ended yesterday with Walz as winner. —

Axios, 7 Aug. 2024 The 1990 season marked the Reds’ last World Series win before the evolving economics of the game turned them into a near-permanent also-ran. —

Brandon Harris, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for also-ran

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'also-ran.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.